Sleight of Hand and Twist of Fate
by Lothiriel84
Summary: A collection of unrelated AU flashfics, featuring different The Mentalist characters. The title is a quote from the song "With or Without You" by U2.
1. Loreley

**Loreley**

She was just another unhappy girl selling her body on the streets when John came into her life.

He told her that she carried the name of a feminine water spirit who lived on a rock on the eastern bank of the Rhine, Germany. He turned her into a strong and fearless woman, and taught her how to charm men. Every night he whispered passionate words in her ear as they made love on the rug in front of the fire.

When she was ready he sent her off to Vegas. Patrick Jane fell for her pathetic story hook, line, and sinker, promised to help her no matter what.

She said that Red John had killed her sister – she was an only child, actually – and she was after revenge exactly like him. She made him feel alive again after ten years' worth of self-denial and self-inflicted punishment. They spent six months on the run, sleeping together and supposedly devising a plan to catch their common enemy.

The poor wretch never saw it coming when the police caught him red-handed over the body of an alleged serial killer's minion – who was actually a harmless stranger she'd picked at random.

From the dark corner where she was hiding, Lorelei only smiled.


	2. It's a Sin

**It's a Sin**

They should stop seeing each other, and she knows it. There's a reason why she's always kept Sam Bosco at arm's length, despite being well aware that her feelings for him were entirely mutual.

Now Sam is dead, while she spends most of her nights in a shabby motel room.

"This is so wrong," she murmurs as his lips trace the curve of her breast, though her words lack any conviction.

He doesn't stop exploring her body, and she arches back when he lowers himself onto her.

She calls his name again and again, until they're both spent and lie in a tangle of limbs on the bed. His left hand absent-mindedly strokes her hair, the golden band on his finger glistening in the moonlight.

Silent tears trickle down her cheeks as a familiar wave of guilt rushes through her. Just because someone's wife is in a catatonic state and has been institutionalized, she shouldn't feel entitled to sleep with her husband.

She can't even begin to understand what a terrifying thing would be to see your precious daughter being slaughtered right before your very eyes.


	3. Am I Not Merciful?

**Am I Not Merciful?**

She'd spent the night at some friends' place, and now she was back home. Charlotte was still with her grandparents, they got to see her seldom and therefore treasured every moment they could share with her.

As she unlocked the front door her thoughts floated back to the TV show she'd watched the night before, and a small smile crept to her lips. For all that she still didn't approve completely what her husband did for a living, she had to admit he looked particularly charming onscreen.

The hall was silent and empty. She made herself a cup of tea, then headed straight upstairs. She paused when she saw a note taped to the door that led to the bedrooms, it wasn't like Patrick to leave a message there.

_Dear Mrs. Jane_ – it said – _I do not like to be slandered in the media, especially by a dirty money-grubbing fraud like your husband._

The teacup fell at her feet with a shattering noise, spilling tea all over the floor. Her hand trembled on the doorknob before she could eventually bring herself to face what she was going to find at the other side of that closed door.


	4. Lonely People

**Lonely People**

He knows for sure that she's in love with him when she starts avoiding his touch.

It's not that he's a touchy-feely person, but even a broken man needs some sort of contact from time to time. He's only human after all, behind all his lies and elaborate masks.

Now he's trying to hold back for her sake. No more occasional brush of his fingers against her own when he brings her a mug of strong black coffee in the mornings; no more reaching for her elbow whenever he ushers her out of a room.

It makes him feel bleak and cold inside, and yet he owes her something for all the times she's stick to him through thick and thin. Lisbon is his best friend, and the last thing he wants to do is give her false hope.

He's not in love with her, probably never will. The only woman he's ever loved has been six feet under for the past decade, and his heart still belongs to her.

Angela wasn't a perfect woman, but he'd give everything in the world to have her back. The least he can do is keep his vows to her until his own death.


	5. Only in Your Heart

**Only in Your Heart**

Jane will never forget the day he walked into a bar to find a scantily clad Teresa Lisbon trying to hit it off with some random guy. She all but fled when she saw him, almost sprained her ankle as she strode away in her stilettoes.

However, it was him who drove her back home, and she ended up confessing to her reasons over a shot of tequila. Her biological clock was ticking away, she was desperate to have a baby before it was too late. Any stranger would do for her purpose, since she'd long stopped believing in true love.

Guilt and pity stirred in his chest, he knew he was the one to blame for her current predicament. That's why he offered to help her, even against his better judgment.

Now she's cradling a newborn baby in her arms, and he wonders how would it feel to hold him just once. He isn't sure it'd be a good idea anyway – even though he's the biological father, they agreed months ago that he wasn't going to claim any rights over their son.

After Charlotte, he simply can't afford to be a father again.

Perhaps one day Lisbon is going to meet a decent guy who'll to take care of her and her child. Until then, he'll just keep a watch on the two of them.


End file.
